Sodium Chlorate Hoppers

[Raildudes dad]

This any help? http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rspict ... ?id=690898

I appreciate the help, but I need to get real measurements to draw this sucker up in 3D CAD. I have over 10 hours into field measurements for a CR Coilshield car. I'm kinda particular..lol

Have you tried contacting the builder for blueprints?

[Proto48Patrick]

This any help? http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rspict ... ?id=690898

I appreciate the help, but I need to get real measurements to draw this sucker up in 3D CAD. I have over 10 hours into field measurements for a CR Coilshield car. I'm kinda particular..lol

Have you tried contacting the builder for blueprints?

I haven't been able to find out any good information on them. No idea who the builder is. So, no..lol It does have to be the car pictured in my first post as it fits in my date on my railroad.

[Raildudes dad]

There's 28 in that series of car http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsList ... rid=127500 I would think Procor could tell you the manufacturer, fairly distinctive, looks like either aluminum or stainless steel. I'm going to guess National Steel car since they are a Canadian company like Procor.

[Proto48Patrick]

There's 28 in that series of car http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsList ... rid=127500 I would think Procor could tell you the manufacturer, fairly distinctive, looks like either aluminum or stainless steel. I'm going to guess National Steel car since they are a Canadian company like Procor.

Thanks

[GreatLakesRailfan]

I don't know if the still get solium chlorate cars or not but a paper plant in Port Huron, Eddy(?), used to get them.

Used to be E.B. Eddy. Now owned by Domtar.

They still get covered hoppers, but I don't think they're the same kind of car Patrick is looking for.

I haven't been able to find out any good information on them. No idea who the builder is. So, no..lol It does have to be the car pictured in my first post as it fits in my date on my railroad.

I take it you're looking just for the cars with the yellow on the ends? I finally had a chance to check my photos and found that some of the cars have the yellow paint on the ends and some do not, all in just about the same number series. And it appears there are two different number series- some cars numbers start 120xxx and some are numbered 127xxx or 128xxx. It also appears that the words "Sodium Chlorate" were removed from several (all?) of the cars over time. A couple of my shots are higher resolution than what seems to be available online, but I can't make out a builder's plate (or builder identification) on any of the cars.

[Proto48Patrick]

Raildude' dad was correct as they are National Steel cars. The build date is 1996 and that is the very end of my time period for my layout. Some ends were yellow, some not, more important are the flat ends and the huge "crash post" looking vertical beams on the end of the hopper. There is nothing available in O scale for a kitbash, so it looks like Im scratch building this entire car with the aid of some 3D printed parts.

Thanks all for the info thus far!
I am off to Ann Arbor for the train show!

[trainiax]

I have over a hundred photos of these cars running on the SLR and MMA in Quebec. There are actually several builders. Here's what I've photographed

Built by NSC, 2900 cu-ft: CGLX 300-700 series, GACX 29000 series, NAHX 2900-3000 series, UNPX 120950+ series
Built by Thrall, 2900 cu-ft: UNPX 120600-120900 series
Photos of NSC and Thrall cars:
http://trainiax.net/mephotosearchresult ... rd_eq=2900

Built by Procor, 3000 cu-ft: UNPX 127000-128000 series
Photos of Procor cars:
http://trainiax.net/mephotosearchresult ... rd_eq=3000

From what I've seen, the NSC cars were built in the late 1980s to early 1990s; the Thrall cars in the early 1990s; and the Procor cars from the early to mid 1990s. The NSC cars are 44' 6" over the couplers; the Thrall and Procor cars are 45' 1". They have been shuffled between owners (or possibly scrapped?) as many cars in my photos no longer appear in car registers.

There are currently a couple dozen of these cars stored in the MMA yard in Sherbrooke, QC. I might be able to get measurements of them - certainly I could take more detail photos as there is a public trail right next to the yard.

[AARR]

I have over a hundred photos of these cars running on the SLR and MMA in Quebec. There are actually several builders. Here's what I've photographed.

Thanks trainiax and welcome. Looking forward to more of your pics, observations, etc.

[Proto48Patrick]

Yes thanks very much for the info Trainiax.

anyway you can email me?

[trainiax]

I have a diagram with many dimensions for NSC 4550 cu-ft cars, which follow a similar construction. I've tried extrapolating lengthwise measurements from photos of the 2900 cu-ft cars based on the overall length and truck wheelbase (70"), and the dimensions I found are exactly the same (down to the inch) as those listed for the 4550 cu-ft cars, minus the added distance between the truck centers. I've also found additional measurements from the CSX UMLER search online, so I think I can safely give the following dimensions for the NSC 2900 cu-ft cars:

Overall length - 44' 6" (UMLER)
Truck centers - 31' 6" (extrapolated)
Length over end sills/ladder corner posts: 40' 6" (extrapolated)
Length over strikers: 41' 11" (based on 4550)
Extreme width: 10' 8" (UMLER & 4550 - this is the middle of the curve on the side)
Height of extreme width: 8' 9" (UMLER & 4550)
Height of upper eaves: 13' 8" (UMLER & 4550 - this is actually the top of the ridge below the running board)
Height of lengthwise running boards: 14' 6" (4550)
Height to bottom of side sill: 3' 8" (extrapolated & 4550)

All the height dimensions are the same as in the 4550 cu-ft diagram, plus one inch.

[bdconrail29]

AKA Caustc Soda. Yes, we used to get those in GRP for Musky. Back in the day they used to get titanium oxide and chlorine too. Chlorine was/is too dangerous so I assume they changed process and went to caustic soda. Then they went to inbound pulp at Sappi and didn't need any of that stuff anymore. They also recived kaolin from Georgia...that made the high quality shiny paper for catalogs they produced. Now we know what happened to catalogs and Sappi both. Gone....

Well actually caustic soda is sodium hydroxide, but I guess it doesn't matter.

[Standard Railfan]

Well actually caustic soda is sodium hydroxide, but I guess it doesn't matter.

Only when you splash some on yourself or dump some on the ground..... then it matters.